CSI:NY family
by Bonasena
Summary: Mac is a father to 5-year-old Zack. (who was born in 2000). He is happily married to Claire who didn't die in 9/11. Everything else is exactly like in the show. Set post season 2 finally. after Mac comes home from the hospital where Flack is hospitalized after the explosion.


**note: slightly AU. Mac is a father to 5-year-old Zack. (who was born in 2000). He is happily married to Claire who didn't die in 9/11. Everything else is exactly like in the show.**

 **Set post season 2 finally. after Mac comes home from the hospital where Flack is hospitalized after the explosion.**

It had been a really long and challenging day for Mac. He had almost lost his best friend who also happened to be his son's godfather, in the same way, he lost his friend Stand Witney in combat when he was a marine. He had gotten injured himself but not as bad as Flack who was now hospitalized. Mac had stayed with Flack for hours. He didn't know exactly for how long. He hadn't left until the nurse had come and told him to leave the hospital. He hadn't even noticed that Claire had tried to call him several times.

Now he was home. He took his shoes off and his coat and hang it on the rack. He hears Claire reading a bedtime story for their son Zack. Peaked in through the door to his room that stood a tiny bit open. Zack was sounded asleep in his bed with his stuffed teddy bear curious Georges hugged tightly in his arms. Claire was sitting on the edges of his bed and reading for him. mac tiptoed in and leaned down to kiss his boy on the forehead. He turned on his little Spongebob nightlamp before he and Claire tiptoed out of the room together and Mac quietly closed the door. then walked into the living room together. Claire could see how exhausted Mac was. They sat down on the couch. Mac just leaned back on the couch looking up into the ceiling.

"have you eaten yet?" she finally asked. "I can go make some dinner for you." She was about to stand up when he grabbed her tight but firmly on the wrist.

"no. just stay here." He said in a leading low almost whispering voice. She looked down at him. she hadn't heard that voice since he had been deployed when he was a marine. Long before they had Zack. She sat down next to him and looked at him. waiting for him to start talking. She knew when he was in this mood he was the one who had to start talking. If she pushed him to talk he would shut her out. He just sat there and held her hand without a word. He just looked down at their hands before he moved his eyes to hers. Still without a word. He leaned closer to her placed his hand in her hair and pulled her into a long deep passionate kiss. After a long while when he finally pulled away she was just breathless.

"Wow, Mac. You haven't kissed me like that in a very long time."

"I really missed you and Zack today."

Claire nods in understanding. She had seen on the news about the explosion and she had seen Stella running around outside the building and Lindsay with the bruise on her forehead. She had heart behind the news reporter Stella saying at least two NYPD officers were still in there. Claire knows Macs entire team. Only Flack and Mac was missing. It didn't take her long to figure out Mac was in the building. Her entire stomach had been one big knot. Seeing the flames and the smoke coming out of the building and knowing that Mac was still in there and they didn't have any contact with him made her feel sick and helpless. It had felt like hours before she finally saw someone coming out of the building. She had felt even sicker when she saw it was ´Flack that was carried out on the stretcher and directly into the ambulance with two EMTs and Danny. Mac had come out shortly after with Hawkes. He was bleeding from his neck and he was dirty and had blood on his shirt and his hands.

Mac was fading back to when he had gotten out of that building. Seeing Flack being driven away to the hospital. He was looking around at all the fragments from the building and all the injured civilians that were being checked out by EMTs and all the police officers and firefighters that were running around. But worst of all all the reports that were reporting from the scene. He knew Claire would be watching this. He knew she would be worried sick by seeing him like this. Even though he was actually okay. At least compared to Flack. He wanted badly to call Claire and reassure her he was fine but his phone was taking out in the explosion and right now finding the bomber was his top priority and he knew Claire would understand that.

"Mac?" Claire's sweet voice snapped him back to reality. He looks over at her.

"I'm sorry. Long day."

"Hey, I know. I saw you on the news. I have been following the news all day."

"what did you tell Zack?" he asks.

"that his daddy was out doing his duty protecting this city from the bad guys…" Mac likes that his son and wife have this heroic picture of him and his job but at the same time a huge fear that he one day won't be able to live up to his son's heroic image and disappoint his son. Claire takes Mac's hand. "and then Zack said. I kinda feel sorry for the bad guy because they are going to get their sorry butts kicked to the moon by my daddy." Both Mac and Claire start laughing.

"Yeah, he has an amazing imagination of my job."

"he loves you. You are his hero. And…" she leans closer to him so her lips are less than an inch away from his. "you are my hero too…" he smiles at She leans the last inch into him and kisses him.

"until the day he finds out that I am not superman that always wins over the bad guys. It was close today. I took a big chance today. It could have ended really bad. I could have lost Don and Stella. My order could have cost Flack his life."

"but It didn't. you saved him. he is alive because of you. The bad guy is off the street."

"all he wanted was just being a marine and prove that we aren't ready. That we are still vulnerable after 9/11. And I actually think he is right. he proved that we are not ready. We are not protected from another attack."

"hey." Claire cuts him off. She knows how much he wants to keep this country safe as a marine. But since they had Zack Mac has been even more devoted to keeping this city and this country a safe place for his little boy to grow up. Since 9/11 Mac has been even more devoted to keeping the city safe for Claire and he got even more devoted when Zack was born.

"you work every day to keep this city as safe as possible for Zack and me and Zack knows that you will never stop doing everything you can to protect him. you might feel that you can't always live up to his hero picture but to Zack, you are a Hero no matter what. Remember that."

The next morning Mac is peacefully asleep. He hasn't slept very well through the night. Claire has woken up several times throughout the night by Mac moving around and talking loudly in his sleep. He has woken up briefly and Claire had snuggled closer to him and he has held her tight into him until he falls back asleep again. Claire wakes up by the sound of a little voice from the door.

"Mommy?" Claire looks over at the door. her little son Zack is standing in the door in his curious Georges PJ and with his Curious Georges teddy bear in his hand.

"morning buddy. Why are you up so early?" Claire asks.

"when is daddy coming home?" he asks.

Mac turns around in his sleep. A big smile is spreading across the little boys face with the realization that his dad is home.

"Daddy is home." He exclaims too loud.

"shhh… come over her." Claire says. Zack walks over to her and climbs up in the bed across his mom and places himself between his parents.

"lay down buddy so you don't wake up dad."

Zack lays down with his mom and with Georges in his arms and watching his dad sleep. Mac moves again and his cover slips down so the bandage on his neck becomes visible to Zack. Zack turns fast towards his mom with concern all over his face.

"why is daddy hurt?

"your daddy is fine. He got a little bruise on his neck when he thought the bad guy yesterday. He is fine, honey."

Zack leans over and lightly touches the bandages on his dad's neck. Before he turns back to his mom.

"I want to kick that bad guy's ass for hurting my daddy."

"buddy. Not those words." Claire says in a tremendous tone, even though she finds it hard to keep a smile back for her son's revenge plan.

"Hey buddy how about you and I go make pancakes for when dad wakes up and then we have Saturday packages?"

"Jubie." Zack exclaimed."

"sssssshhhh, Zack. Don't wake up dad."

Claire and Zack walk to the kitchen and starts making pancakes. Zack helps with mixing the pancake mix and while Claire is baking the pancakes Zack is setting the table with plates, forks, and knives. When the pancakes are done Claire and Zack decides to make some bacon before they go wake up Mac. Zack crawls into the bed and sits and watching Mac sleeping. He slowly moves his hand to very lightly touching the bandages on Mac's neck.

"is daddy going to be okay? He asks while looking at Claire with a very concerned look.

"he is fine, Zack."

"I don't like daddy getting hurt by bad guys."

"me neither buddy," Claire says. She hates just as much when Mac get injured in the line of duty. She knows it's a risk that is a part of his job. But still never gets used to it. Zack leaned forward and places a kiss on his dad's forehead. Just like Mac does to Zack when Zack is sick. But suddenly Mac grabs his arms around Zack.

"I am getting attacked."  
Mac says and almost throw Zack onto his back on the bed and Mac sits on his knees.

"do you know what the police does to bad guys who attack us?" he says. "we tickle torture them." Mac starts tickling Zack. Zack is giggling while he is trying to fight his dad off.

"no daddy."

Claire is just laughing at them.

"Okay, you two. While you guys are playing I think I'll go eat some pancake and bacon." Claire says and is leaving the bedroom. Mac stops tickling Zack.

"pancakes?"

"yeah me and mommy made pancakes."

"who comes first?" Mac and Zack run out of the bedroom and almost takes Claire down to get to the kitchen first. Claire is just laughing at them. When Clair finally gets to the kitchen Mac and Zack is already eating their pancake. She loves her two boys so much. Mac look over at her with a sweet smile. A morning like this with his family can make any memory of a day like yesterday go away for a while.


End file.
